NFL Picks: NFL playoff betting recap with Geno

Monday, January 09, 2012 1:42 PM ET

Geno
reviews what went wrong and what went right in his Wildcard Weekend and ends
with his final BCS pick this year.

Wow… is anyone done being amazed at how many Monday mornings
we sit here finding ourselves blown away by the heroics of Tim Tebow. I’d love
to say I told you so, but was on the Steelers, and the loss left me at an even
2-2 with my NFL picks.

So lets take a quick peek at where I went wrong and right
this week, and also get you the winner for tonight’s BCS Championship game. Oh
and for all of you SiruisXM subscribers—you can tune in tonight at 9 and hear
daddy chat up our little forum on Howard 101’s Ferrall show!

Texans 31 Bengals 10

As I predicted, everyone was so focused on QB’s this game
and how Andy Dalton was a #1 Draft pick facing a third stringer coming off of a
head injury. The real story, however, was how Wade Phillips keeps making daddy
Bum Phillips proud, as the Texans have one of the top defenses in football and
gave Cinci fits all day; not only stymieing them on the field but confusing the
young Dalton with so many different schemes.

Dalton got so confused that at one point he literally called
two timeout over the course of three plays—but isn’t that like a red-headed stepchild—constantly
finding himself in timeout?

On the other side of the ball, Arian Foster continues to
impress and carry his team on his back. By the way, remember it’s spelled with
an “i” not with a “y.” If you have trouble remembering just watch the history
channel and you’ll realize no Aryans ever could get through defensive lines
this deep into winter. Still my question after this game and Cinci’s playoff
run is who
get’s AFC rookie of the year; I give it to Dalton over Cam, you?

Saints 45 Lions 28

I watched this cover slip through my hands the moment the
ball squirted through the hands of CB Aaron Berry with the Lions trailing by
only three early in the 4th quarter with the Saints about to score.

It goes without saying this could have changed the face of
the game around. Still as millions of Lions fans lamented, Berry had the
cajones to tweet “Y’all can go back to being Broke & Miserable…now back to
regular scheduled programming…” looks like someone fields his position as well
as he does criticism.

If you don’t believe me; look no further than the Steelers
win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL. While everyone remembers Pitt getting a few
crucial questionable calls, they tend to forget the AFC Championship game the
previous week in which the officials were so set on giving the win to the Colts
they called a clear Polamalu pick an incompletion. Only Big Ben’s game saving
tackle on Bettis’s fumble gave Pitt the game.

So overcome it rather than whine about it like Lions safety
Chris Harris—who Sunday after reading a headline saying the Lions were
“torched” by the Saints—said the writer could have used “a better adjective.” Anyone
want to tell this guy that “torched” is a verb. Maybe the Saints didn’t need to
use an offensive playbook much as an English book to get separation from Harris,
as it’s apparent he’s never been within five yards of one.

Giants 24 Falcons 2

The Falcons “peeped” early, as they opened the scoring when
Eli Manning was called for grounded in the endzone, only to watch the Giants
score the game’s final 24 points. While I’d love to say that I nailed this one
with my analysis of the game in
my video—I pointed out that Atlanta doesn’t play well outside and the real
problem was that the Falcons absolutely stink in short yardage situation.

You would think that Smith learned his lesson in his team’s
26-23 loss to the N’awlins back in November, when Smith went for it on 4th
and inches in FG range—oh did I mention it was New Orleans field goal range.

His team was stopped and The Saints came marching in immediately
to kick the game winner.

No disrespect to the G-men’s offense which looked solid
under Coach Tom Coughlin, who was already in playoff mode from last week’s
winner take all game against Dallas, but the visiting Falcons looked less like
a football team and more like Special Olympians suffering from 4th
Down Syndrome.

Broncos 29 Steelers
23

When will I learn not to go against Tim Tebow, as even when
I do, I find myself rooting for him on the field. Score another point for
Catholic guilt. Regardless, I give full credit to the entire Denver team for
this win, especially John Fox, who used every ounce of his resources to
formulate a winning game plan against the defending AFC champs this year.

The only people this game should aggravate more than
Steelers fans are Chargers fans who are saddled for another year with Norv who
has steadily regressed with Pro-bowler Phillip Rivers while John Fox in his
first year has come in and built a playoff winner with a RB starting under
center. And while that is insulting to Charger fans, maybe the real insult is to
Denver fans who wake up this morning as mile high as they’ve ever been only to
find Vegas making them a 13.5
point underdog to the Pats. Nobody puts Tebow in a corner.

Geno’s Picks

(14-10 ATS NCAA)

LSU -2.5 vs. ‘Bama

The last time these two teams met, there was a day of
overhype for each of the 15 total points scored. Now they get to play each other
again in the real game everyone predicted this to be a precursor of. This game
will be even more exciting to watch but after such prolonged periods off I see
rusty offenses and another low-scoring game which is why I believe the X-factor
will be LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu, aka The Honey Badger.

No player on ‘Bama has a
nickname nearly that cute—unless they dig up Bear Bryant—and, whether they do
or not, look for something to be stinking on the Alabama side of the ball. Oh,
and if you don’t like my LSU joke—then
go take a look at John Ryan and see what he thinks. Not like we
don’t give you plenty of options here at the SBRForum but I say…

Sweeten up LSU and
the Honey badger -2.5

Remember to listen to me tonight at 9PM EST on SiriusXM’s
Howard 101!!!